J. R. Love uses a masonry saw to cut a brick for the facade of a house in Alexandria. / The Enquirer/Patrick Reddy

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Across the region, more streets are being laid, more permits and plans are being approved, and several major developments previously stalled by the recession look to finally be moving ahead.

The recovery is slow, incremental and dominated for now by large homebuilders with easier access to capital – but it’s there.

“We were happy with the improvement in the industry in 2013, and we look for slightly more growth in 2014,” said Brian Miller, head of the Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky.

The 2008 recession brought homebuilding to a shuddering halt in fast-growing areas like Independence, Union and Alexandria – but all three communities can expect to see a spate of new construction get underway this spring.

Dirt is moving on the long-awaited Arcadia development in Alexandria, a joint venture between Drees Homes and Fischer Homes. Model homes are being framed now, and Drees is already pre-selling single-family homes beginning at $237,900. Future phases will include patio homes and townhouses.

A major expansion of the multi­developer Triple Crown community is advancing in Union. Drees and Fischer are both moving forward on new or expanded communities in Boone County. And in Independence, Arlinghaus Builders recently secured approval of a 129-lot addition to the Williams Woods community.

“The general feeling over all in the marketplace, from the builders I talk to, is that more people are making the decision to move forward with building new homes,” said Ray Neverovich, Drees Homes division president for Ohio and Kentucky.

“Economically, the housing market is improving,” Neverovich said. “We’ve seen a pretty significant increase in our traffic – people looking for homes – over the last seven or eight months. And our sales are reflective of that. We’ve seen sales start to pick back up, particularly in Kentucky.”

New and expanding developments might be the most visible signs of a reenergized homebuilding industry, but they aren’t the only ones.

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In Kenton County, more than 9,000 feet of new street was laid in 2013 – more than double the amount laid in 2011 and 2012 combined.

“One good indicator of whether new subdivision construction is picking up is street construction: You don’t build new homes without new streets,” said Scott Hiles, director of infrastructure engineering at the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission. “The upturn we’ve seen in street construction is very promising.”

Builders across Northern Kentucky are also beginning to build on vacant lots in existing developments, picking up where they left off when the recession hit.

“What we’re really seeing is the subdivisions that have been on hold for several years are starting to fill in,” said Cindy Minter, director of planning and zoning for Campbell County. “...As this infill gets rounded out, I would expect to see some new subdivisions.”

Minter said a spate of new applications has kept her department unexpectedly busy over the winter, traditionally a slow time for planners.

From November through January, the county approved 41 building permits for new construction or major expansions of homes or barns, up from 27 permits approved during the same period the previous year. HVAC permits are also on the rise.

“That’s a very good sign,” Minter said. “This is usually a slow season for us, and it hasn’t been at all. That’s really surprising, especially with the harsh winter we’ve had.”

Residential growth in Campbell County is somewhat limited by topography and access to available land. But Boone County doesn’t have that problem: Drees and Fischer are both moving forward on communities in the Union area.

In 2013, the county saw 30 percent growth in new home construction: 402 new homes were built, compared with 307 in 2012. That isn’t anywhere near pre-recession levels, when the county saw 1,000 or more per year, but it is an encouraging sign.

“We have a lot of lots out there – thousands – that are vacant,” said Kevin Costello, director of the Boone County Planning Commission. “I think the activity level’s increasing, but not to the level we saw 10 or 15 years ago.”

And while there is reason for optimism, the homebuilding industry still has significant obstacles to overcome: Skilled workers are in short supply, credit is still tight for smaller builders, and sewer capacity and other infrastructure issues inhibit growth in areas such as Hebron and Richwood.

“While we are very happy to see the market continue its recovery, we are concerned by serious headwinds facing our industry,” Miller said. ⬛